Melendez: Elbows Always in My Arsenal

When Gilbert
Melendez used elbows on the ground to finish Tatsuya
Kawajiri in April, it was like a breath of fresh air for the
Strikeforce
lightweight champion. Prior to the
UFC’s purchase of Strikeforce earlier this year, elbows on the
ground were not allowed by the California-based promotion. With the
unified rules of mixed martial arts suddenly in place, “El Nino”
had a new weapon at his disposal. Melendez -- who defends his title
against Jorge
Masvidal at
Strikeforce “Melendez vs. Masvidal” on Saturday at the Valley
View Casino Center in San Diego -- said that remembering to use
them was not as difficult as it might seem during a pre-fight
teleconference:

“All my teammates train with elbows. Jake [Shields] was a pioneer
in ground-and-pound with elbows, so elbows have always been
something in the back of my mind. Even in training, in my mind I
was thinking, ‘I can elbow this guy right now.’ It wasn’t just
because Strikeforce didn’t allow elbows that I ruled it out. I’ve
always had it in my arsenal, and it’s something that’s always come
naturally to me with my ground-and-pound. I’m happy they’re there
because elbows are real effective. Sometimes, they cut people and
end fights early, but I showed I can actually end fights with
elbows. I used to fight in Hawaii [and] in Pride [Fighting
Championships] with foot stomps and knees to the head. I like to do
all that stuff, so I’m happy with the elbows, and I love the
unified rules. It’s fun to have those.”